Long Time Coming
by Le Ginamal
Summary: This is gonna be a long one.  Basically an elaboration of my previous song fic.  Without song.  It'll take a while to write, but pacience is key, right?  So this is a Jou/Seto fic, no lemony stuff so far, and probably not for a long while.
1. To the Rescue

Seto walked to the apartment after school, sent by the teacher to give an absent Jou his book and assignments. The teach had picked him, because, of course, he was the most responsible of Jou's acquaintances. Where the teacher got that they were friends from, Seto had no idea, but he suspected that some form of mind reading was responsible; which is why Seto wasn't exactly in the best of moods when he got to the door.

He marched in the door, and straight up to the apartment. He just wanted to get out of that place and forget the dread he was feeling as he got closer to where Jou lived. He reached the landing and walked down the narrow corridor, but quickened his pace when he heard some alarming banging coming from the apartment. A shout reached his ears as he was about to knock on the ajar door, but instead he pushed it open and burst into the room.

The scene before his eyes appalled him, the floor was littered with trash and empty containers of alcohol and cigarettes, the place had a rank odor of foulness unmatched by any alley-way Seto had ever chanced to pass. How Jou took any sort of shower and ended up looking decent at school was beyond comprehension. Around the corner of the small entry way hall way was an image that had Seto horrified and sickened. The blatant abuse of Jou by his father made him sick, and he burst through the rotten room, not even knowing his own actions before he committed them, tearing Jou's father away from the boy, clocking him across the face as he attempted to direct blows against the interfering stranger.

Seto hauled Jou to his feet, grabbing the blonde around his waist as his shorter counterpart clutched onto the other's clothed shoulders for support. Without conscious thought Seto told Jou to pack his things as quickly as possible and whipped out his cell to call the limo as soon as his bidding was equally unconsciously obeyed. After his abrupt phone call, he watched Jou's father lay on the floor as he listened to Jou's packing noises from the other room.

When Jou returned to the room minutes later, Seto hauled him out of the apartment, holding his new charge by the hand as he dragged him from the building without protest. He then took Jou's luggage from him as he opened the door to let Jou in. He threw the suitcase in the trunk, slamming both doors as he got in shortly after.

Seto found all his dread had turned into anger, and that turned into an exhausted worrying. Once they got to the mansion, he was ready to take a nap. Jou had already started napping on Seto's shoulder as they drove. They got out and tiredly made their way up to the huge house after retrieving Jou's bag from the trunk. Seto led Jou to a guest bedroom in the same hallway as his and Mokuba's rooms then went into his own, unceremoniously sitting down and curling up under a throw blanket, falling soundly asleep within minutes.


	2. Breakfast

Jou woke up late in the afternoon in a very extravagant bedroom. The room was colored in shades of tan and cream, only broken up by the maroon comforter and rug. The actual flooring was a dark brown wood that matched the furniture in the room. Jou hardly remembered getting there, but soon enough figured out what had happened by his snippets of memory.

His stomach growled as he sat up and looked at the clock, which told him that it was nearly six. He stretched as he got out of bed, feeling sore, but refreshed from his nap. He wandered out of the room and down the stairs, going in a direction he hoped was the kitchen. He walked tentatively around the corner into the tiled open kitchen, spotting Seto sitting at the island with a bowl of cereal.

As he walked in, Seto got up, setting his bowl down and motioning for Jou to sit down across from him. Seto moved across to the cupboards and got out a bowl and spoon before moving to another cupboard to take out a couple boxes of cereal.

"Um, do you want frosted flakes or wheaties?" Seto asked a taken aback Jou. 'Seto started a sentence with "um"?' Jou thought, 'Is this the real Kaiba?'

"Uh, wheaties, I guess. Is there milk?" Jou hazarded, seeing that was what Seto was eating.

"Yeah, sure. Do you want sugar? I guess they're a bit bland," Seto set the bowl down in front of Jou, then moved to the refrigerator for the milk.

"Sure." Jou thought this conversation was beyond awkward; Kaiba hadn't said an insulting thing to him in five minutes! That must be a record. Jou felt on edge, as if something was going to pop out of nowhere, or he was going to wake up any minute back at his abusive father's apartment. Instead, Seto just set the milk down in front of him and got the sugar from the pantry, putting that in front of him too.

Seto sat back down across from Jou again, only to leap to his feet again, startling Jou.

"I forgot! What would you like to drink? Milk, juice, water, tea, coffee, hot chocolate?" Seto listed off drinks as Jou restarted his heart. Seto shifted from foot to foot, unsure of what to do, a tense energy over taking him. 'Too much coffee,' he thought.

"Uh, I don't know, juice?" Jou answered sheepishly.

"Um, what kind?" Seto replied equally shy, "Orange, apple, cranberry-blackberry, grape? Oh, wait, Mokuba drank the last of the grape this morning, never mind." Seto flushed crimson.

Jou, seeing the flush on Seto's face, became equally embarrassed. This was really weird, being in Seto's house, seeing the stoic young CEO unsure of himself. What was going on with the world? "Orange is fine," Jou finally answered.

Seto poured Jou a glass of the citrus liquid without incident, and set it in front of him, sitting down afterwards and continuing eating without a word. The pair ate in silence, until Mokuba walked in.

"Wow, I thought you guys woulda been tearing each other's throats out by now. It's nice to see you guys getting along."

Mokuba sat down with them at the island after getting some frosted flakes and apple juice from the fridge. He poured a good amount of chocolate milk over his cereal, to which Seto made a face.

"Yum, breakfast for dinner again! It's Seto's favorite," Mokuba said the last to Jou conspiratorially. "But he hates it when I make my breakfast cereal so sweet!" Mokuba laughed. Jou chuckled, and Seto continued to eat.

"You're going to have a heart-attack, eating like that," Seto said.

"Yeah, but not till I'm as old as you are, and that'll take a while," Mokuba laughed, Seto just rolled his eyes.

Jou realized he felt strangely at home as he smiled at the brother's repartee. He felt more relaxed here than he had in years anywhere. 'What the hell?' he thought to himself, 'May as well get comfortable.'


	3. Long Dark TeaTime of the Soul

"So, I assume you'll be staying here for a while. Well, we'd like you to, just to get your bearings and everything," Seto told Jou over a cup of tea after dinner.

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to…"Jou was cut off.

"Look at this house, Jou; do you really think you could be a burden?" Seto asked.

"I guess not," Jou said into his tea.

"Don't think I'm doing this out of charity, Jounoichi. Mokuba and I sincerely want you to stay with us. Don't worry about it."

"But why would you want me here?" Katsuya asked, momentarily worried he had crossed a line when Seto's stance shifted.

"Dunno, really. But it feels good to have someone else familiar in the house. And I guess I see the similarities between us more than your friends. After all, you care deeply for your younger sibling, as much as I care for Moki, I believe."

Jou nodded, he could see that; and another similarity. "We've both been abused. Gozaburo wasn't kind to you, we all know it. Mokuba's said so, I think."

"Certainly, but it was different. I always thought he was crueler to Mokuba," Seto had a thoughtful look on his face as he stirred his tea absentmindedly.

"Seto?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." Jou looked Seto in the eyes for a moment before he turned away and headed to bed.

* * *

I've begun to realize that Seto is coming off a bit OOC, but i think i can fudge that by saying that his growing crush/affection for Jou is affecting is mind, as well as him being in a comfortable home environment. Maybe something about bonding too. Hope you're enjoying, even though this chapter is short! Reviews are appriciated!


	4. School dayz

By the next morning life seemed to have settled down in the Kaiba mansion. It was oddly unconscious how normal it felt to have three people around the breakfast table instead of two. The boys assembled themselves, accomplishing what would be their new normal without having to talk about it. It seemed strange at first, but none of them let on that they were feeling that way, and soon all doubt gave way to silent understanding.

All this may seem very sudden, but really, to three people so adaptable, it could seem normal. Their lives were ever changing; never really a set routine. Jou always had to think of a new way to get around his father or see his sister, Seto constantly worried about Mokuba and increased security measures as well as about the company itself, and Mokuba was used to taking it all in stride.

After eating breakfast, the boys gathered their school things to set out for the day. They walked out the front door, to the awaiting everyday car the Kaiba brothers used to get around when they didn't want to be noticed. It was a sleek green hybrid, exceedingly aerodynamic looking close up, but ordinary otherwise. Jou stared at the car, wondering what it could possibly be for.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"School?" Mokuba looked confusedly at Jou.

"You mean you don't walk?" he asked.

"It's a bit far to walk, Jou. And the buses don't come here. I'm driving, come on," Seto explained.

"You drive?" Jou asked.

"Is it really that surprising?" Seto raised an eyebrow, miffed.

"Well, I, uh," Jou flushed, embarrassed. "Sorry," he stammered.

Seto laughed, "I'm not really upset. Do I look that lazy?" he asked rhetorically.

They all piled in with Seto and Jou in front. Mokuba jumped out of the back at the Middle School, exuberant to have it finally be Friday. Seto and Jou went the rest of the way in a comfortable silence, until they reached the boarder of the High school's perimeter. Jou ducked down into his seat when they passed the front, only glancing up when they reached the parking lot. Seto had gained a far away expression at this behavior, a tint of some emotion Jou couldn't place in his eyes.

"We don't have to walk together if it makes you uncomfortable," Seto said flatly.

"Huhn? Why wouldn't we?" Jou's reply had Seto's brows knitting a sweater.

"You ducked down when we reached the schoolyard, I assumed you didn't want to be seen with me," Seto replied.

"Oh, yea, but that was for something different. See, there's this guy back there who likes to bully me sometimes cause I'm gay and he'd probably start givin' you hell too, if he saw us together. He's a homophobe, ya see."

Now Seto's eyebrow's nearly disappeared into his bangs. "And how would that affect me?"

"I think you need people lessons," Jou dared, "See, he'd think you're gay too, so he'd bother you 'bout it," Jou explained.

"I don't care, I can handle myself. Anyways maybe I am. Who knows," Seto shrugged and got out of the car, turning his face from Jou. He didn't want him to see the blush on his face at what he thought was an obvious revelation.

"Okay, cool." Jou replied, completely oblivious. Seto sighed in relief and annoyance. Jou was hopeless.

They walked up to the school together through the parking lot, chatting about how after school was going to go: Seto and Jou would get their things and then Seto would meet Jou at his locker and they'd walk out together and then go pick up Mokuba and go home. Seto was to meet at Jou's locker because Jou had a quiz to make up that would extend his last period by a few minutes.

"Jou? Is that the guy?" Seto asked Jou, pointing out a very tall person staring at them.

"Yea…" Jou rubbed the back of his neck, "Damn…never hear the end of this, you know."

"That's fine." As they got closer to the school and the bully, Seto's pace quickened, and Jou was having problems keeping up normally. When they reached speaking distance, Seto grabbed Jou's hand and yanked him along and past the past offender, whose face was awash with surprise at the successful avoidance. Jou was equally surprised.

Seto propelled them through the uninhabited courtyard without a fuss, but then immediately let go of Jou's hand when they got around the corner to the more densely populated side of the school. He backed off significantly, which had Jou's mind turning cartwheels.

"Seto?" Jou asked.

"Your friends, they'll think it's weird. Go on, I'll see you after school," Seto reassured. But the look on Seto's face wasn't very reassuring to Jou.

"Yea, alright," Jou said, giving Seto a short wave before heading into the throng, spotting his group in seconds.

Seto sighed and stood against a wall, watching him leave.


	5. A Game and Duplicity

_Beware of evil bullies that arn't at all nice. And a Seto that reminds me of me! Oh, no! Ever so cleverly nasty and protective at the same time! What incongruousness!_

_

* * *

__School was uneventful as ever, though lunch found Seto watching a certain blond a little more than normal. All went fine, and Seto found himself waiting by Jou's locker in a shorter amount of time than he had expected. The halls were empty except for Seto, the school having emptied remarkably fast, when a hulking form walked around the corner. Seto recognized the mass as Jou's bully. He was immediately on edge, and hoped that Jou would stay in his exam for long enough so that this guy could leave and not bother him. Seto wasn't a fan of confrontation, no matter how much he had once enjoyed dueling. Physical battles always reminded him to much of the orphanage fights where he had to protect his brother. He thought he'd have a hard time keeping out of a confrontation if Jou suddenly came around, his protective instincts shadowing Jou as well now that he was a member of the Kaiba household._

_The bully stopped in front of Seto, looking him over. Seto glared back with his trademark stoic stare. He put on his best air of superiority and stared the bully down. The hulk shifted his weight and spoke:_

_"So you're a fairy boy too, now; eh, Kaiba? And to think I had some semblance of respect for you," the bully stared, waiting for a response._

_"I don't recall ever being a fairy in my life; I lack the wings, as you can see. And I've always hated glitter," Seto snapped back, ever emotionless. The bully looked half surprised. Seto was not._

_"Then why you hangin' out with that faggo Jounoichi? Him and his friends are all a bunch of queers," the bully said, seeing if he could rile Seto._

_"Your control of the English language is simply astounding, as well as your sense of appropriateness. Please, if you can insult anyone else with your poor word choice, do it somewhere else. I don't hang with his friends, as you can well see. And who I spend time with is none of your concern," Seto said coldly. He wanted to punch this sucker in the face. He wanted to yell at him and show him how much of an ignoramus he was, but he held it in, not letting the bully have any leeway over his reaction, he knew the game they were playing, and he always won, not even Yugi or Atem could beat him at this game; he had practically invented it. He won this round too._

_The bully's eyebrows lowered, he was angry. He certainly hadn't understood all of the words that rich-boy Seto had spewed, but he got that the gist of it was an insult. But he wasn't going to blow his top; that would only give Kaiba more of the upper-hand. "I ought to beat the shit outta you, Kaiba," he decided that threatening was the best response, "but there're dudes higher up on my list I gotta take care of first." The bully turned away and left, leaving Seto with a small smirk plastered on his face. He had won, and he would win again. Just let that hulk threaten Jou, Seto would be ready. He restrained some maniacal laughter as he saw Jou come around the corner the bully had left around. Jou looked at Seto perplexedly._

_"That troll I told you about just passed me in the hall without even looking at me. He must be really ticked. Why are you smiling?"_

_Seto laughed, and Jou looked worried. What had happened while he'd been in class today? _

_"Oh, it's nothing. We just had a little chat. He obviously disliked the turn out," Seto smiled a crooked half smile, overjoyed by the outcome. He hadn't goaded someone into losing their temper in quite a while. He had forgotten how much fun it could be. To relieve Jou's look of anxiety, Seto asked him about his day, "So got all your things? How'd your exam go?" _

_Jou shut his locker and walked with Seto to the car, completely forgetting about the implications of the bully and Seto 'chatting'. "Oh, good, think I did pretty well. How was your day?"_

_Eventually it got around to dinner time; luckily Jou had just finished his homework, so went downstairs to scrounge for something to eat. He encountered Seto in the kitchen, pulling out something smelling delicious from the oven. _

_"Oh, good, could you set the table for me?" Seto asked, seeing Jou in the kitchen's entrance. Seto was wearing a black apron with something unintelligible, from Jou's point of view, written on the front. He also had on old flowered oven mitts. Jou recovered from his oven-mitt induced shock and got the plates._

_Mokuba bounded down the stairs a short while later at the sound of ceramics moving. They all sat and Seto sliced the roast, serving the others and then himself, as politeness dictated. Jou was astounded at the delicious beef seasoned with mustard and spices and wrapped in a pastry. It was the most wonderful way he had ever had beef, it was even pink in the middle. He ate vigorously, and asked Seto if they had this often._

_"Yes, I make it sometimes. It's one of Mokuba's favorites." Mokuba gave a hearty cheer for his favorite dish. Jou looked astounded. _

_"You mean you cooked all this?" Jou gestured to the beef and seasoned potatoes._

_"Of course. I love cooking, why wouldn't I?" Seto chewed thoughtfully._

_"I just didn't expect it I guess," Jou contemplated over a mouthful of potato. Seto was so different at home than at school, it was as if there were two Setos; docile friendly practically **motherly** home Seto, and then cool calculating almost cruel school and work Seto. And even though he wasn't quite used to him, Jou definitely knew which one he preferred. He smiled warmly at the thought, the appreciation practically glowing through his eyes. Seto found Jou's sudden burst of contentment breath-taking. He was so beautiful…_


End file.
